Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar
Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health and Vitality Book Review
For over 30 years, Rosemary has been sharing her wisdom and knowledge of herbs and educating gardeners and natural healers alike about the power of plants for healing.
In the Family Herbal: A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health and Vitality, published by Storey Book, Rosemary Gladstar introduces readers to the amazing world of herbs. Through witty writing she shows average families how to use plants for a multitude of purposes in the home, kitchen and bathroom to promote health and stamina.
Ecological Impact of Herbalism
Gladstar immediately covers the growing ecological impact of herbal medicine and the damage that commercial interests can have on native plant populations. Family Herbal discusses sustainable practices for growing, harvesting and utilizing herbs and suggests how to find herbs from organic, cultivated or ethically harvesting companies.
Overall Wellness and Healthy Living Habits
The next chapter of Family Herbal is devoted to superfoods for well-being to include as part of everyday diets for optimum nutrition. Spirulina, seaweed, bee pollen, flaxseed, shiitake mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and herbs high in B vitamins and antioxidants are all discussed and recipes like "7-Herb Long-Life Soup" give ideas for using these plants in a family-friendly diet.
Natural Stress-Relief
Today's society is increasingly stressful so the third chapter of Family Herbal will be much used. Information about the nervous system introduces the topic and many recipes for tea blends, elixirs and other herbal treatments make it easy to implement the principles taught. Common sense tips are shared as well as delightful herbal recipes and blends.
Home Remedies for Everyday Ailments
Chapter four of Family Herbal is dedicated towards herbs that support the body while it fights specific ailments and illnesses. Many conditions are covered, including athlete's foot, rashes, colds and flus, fevers, headaches and more. Simple suggestions are included throughout as well as herbal remedies, teas and other recipes.
Beauty Recipes and Natural Skin Care
A portion of the Family Herbal that is sure to be a favorite, the fifth chapter discusses the principles that the Greek goddess Cosmeos teaches us about beauty. A quick education about natural ingredients and their uses is so helpful that even if there were no recipes a reader would be able to mix and match their own creations. But of course, Rosemary Gladstar saves us the trouble by sharing years of wisdom in several pages of herbal beauty recipes.
Herbal Recipes for Children, Women, Men and the Elderly
The last four chapters of the Family Herbal cover the varied needs and conditions common to specific members of the family - children, females, men and our grandparents. Enthusiastic knowledge, years of experience and ancient traditions combine to give the reader a wealth of information to draw from. Common ailments and transitional times of life are covered as well as supportive herbal recipes.
Herbal Plants Encyclopedia
The next section is of interest to herbal gardeners as this first appendix covers one hundred of the most common herbs with long, rich histories of use as medicinal plants. Pictures, descriptions, scientific names, benefits and suggestions for using herbal medicine plants are all discussed to whet the appetite (literally!) for the possibilities that exist.
Making Herbal Remedies
Step-by-Step how-to's are the theme for appendix 2 covering the basic principles for utilizing medicinal herbs. Selecting and storing medicinal herbs is just the beginning of tips Family Herbal gives. The appendix covers creating herbal salves, lotions, teas, tinctures, syrups, infusions and more.
This is a book that won't spend much time on a bookshelf since most readers will want it out in the garden, or on the kitchen counter, close at hand. A must-read for any family wanting to implement herbal medicine as part of a natural wellness routine.
